Into the Clouds: NSW DET

When the New South Wales Department of Education (DET) decided it needed to improve the way it handled science testing for year-8 students, it began to look at online solutions. Teaming up with Janison Solutions, the DET sought to better replicate what students did in the laboratory.

When the New South Wales Department of Education (DET) decided it needed to improve the way it handled science testing for year-8 students, it began to look at online solutions. Teaming up with Janison Solutions, the DET sought to better replicate what students did in the laboratory.

Initial estimates, for creating the infrastructure required to handle tens of thousands of students simultaneously, were upwards of $200,000. Late last year, a cloud-based solution using Microsoft Azure was trialled, and found to require roughly one-twentieth of the cost on the day (though more costs were incurred for the load testing leading up to the experiment).

Based on the results of the trials, the system will this year be used to conduct testing for all year-8 students in New South Wales.